The proposed 4GW nuclear plant in the UK has been labelled too expensive and too risky but supporters say it is crucial for the UK’s future energy mix. James Blackman looks into the realistic role energy storage technology could play in any mooted alternative plans to keep Britain’s lights on.

German PV module and storage manufacturer Solarwatt recently announced its intention to expand into the UK market with the launch of its MyReserve storage system.Energy Storage News caught up with Pol Spronck, Solarwatt’s international sales manager, to discuss the latest expansion and with the company is hoping to bring to the UK.

Mercom Capital Group’s latest report showed how energy storage companies brought in US$125 million in venture capital (VC) funding in Q2 2016, double that of the previous quarter. Year-over-year funding this second quarter roughly matched last year’s Q2 output, which had US$126 million in 13 deals.

Moixa Technology is hoping to raise up to £20 million by the end of the year to fund its expansion into Europe, and has recently gained investment from three big beasts from the UK energy sector.

Commercially viable energy storage has the potential to change the game by solving the energy trilemma. Arshad Saleem, from KIC InnoEnergy, which invests in and supports European sustainable energy, says marrying start-up innovation and big business experience could accelerate the journey to viability.

The White House announcement of new developments and investment in energy storage has been characterised as “the first executive office push for energy storage” that will “undoubtedly galvanize” the industry, in a new GTM Research brief by the firm’s energy storage director Ravi Manghani.

Andy Colthorpe and Ben Willis profile some of the companies and technologies making waves in the fast-changing world of stationary energy storage, in a feature article which originally appeared in the seventh issue of PV Tech Power.

Involvement from billionaire Peter Thiel in Stem’s Series C indicates a shared belief among investors that “distributed, intelligent storage is going to absolutely revolutionise the electric grid over the coming decades”, the company’s marketing director has said.

GE’s investment in Sonnen shows a shared belief in online trading of energy and other digitally-enabled services as the fastest potential drivers of a profitable energy storage industry, according to a Sonnen director.

GE Ventures, the venture capital arm of US-headquartered multinational engineering group GE, has invested in German energy storage hardware and services provider Sonnen.